14th PPG Goodguys Nationals Columbus

It was a pretty good idea Goodguys had a few years back when they were trying to decide where they should hold their big national event. They had 18 or so regional events, but no spot to set up shop and hold an end-all, stand-alone Nationals.

2/55Wade Faustman from Allen, TX, rounds a corner out on the timed autocross course with his ’34, which is powered by an LT1.

The organization was firmly entrenched in various parts of the country (eight years in Atlanta, 10 years in Medina, Ohio, and 12 years in Merced, California) but, in 1998 that all changed when they revamped their show schedule and announced the first PPG Nationals would be held mid-year in Columbus, Ohio.

Many of the show’s first-year highlights (swap meet, manufacturers’ displays, etc.) are still in place today and, after 14 years, the show has not only expanded to include timed autocross racing, but physically expanded to accommodate even more cars.

3/55Rod Highfill, from Bowling Green, MO, has a great eye for cars, and his latest is this ’46 Ford coupe, which is outfitted with a ’60s Oldsmobile dash and a maroon ’n’ white pleated interior.

For the first time this year, the car show (including specialty parking areas) were cordoned off on the north side of the huge Ohio Expo Center (north of 17th Avenue). Also, a large portion of the swap meet section (where it had been held outdoors but under cover) was moved completely indoors, which featured most-welcome air conditioning. You still had some folks who were in an outside swap meet area selling full-sized cars and parts, but most of the sellers had moved indoors to take advantage of the A/C.

Attendees could hang out at the evening kick-off parties at the host hotels or the technical how-to seminars during the day, bring out their valve cover for some head-to-head racing, or park in one of a handful of specialty parking areas (Trick Truck Corral, Ya Gotta Drive ’em, Homebuilt Heaven, etc.).

4/55Jason Graham is a talented builder from Portland, TN, and has been able to come back from a devastating fire that destroyed his shop last year. He recently built this ’30 Ford pickup (covered in ’50 Cadillac PPG Kingswood Gray paint) for his Phoenix-based clients, Todd and Cheryl Williams.

For awards, Goodguys handed out their Terrific 12 awards, which honor 12 types of vehicles throughout the year. Six of the awards are event-specific (where finalists are selected at more than one event) and the other six the title (i.e. Hot Rod of the Year, America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod, etc.) is awarded at one of the Goodguys-specific events around the country.

At the Columbus event, two of the 12, the Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year and the Optima Batteries Street Machine of the Year, are picked from the cars at the show.

This year their Street Rod of the Year award was given to Paul and Debbie Becker of Dwight, Illinois, for their ’32 Ford coupe that was built by Dave Lane at Fastlane Rod Shop. Lane has built three other customer cars that have won this award in the past, which is unique in and of itself, but what is really surprising is he is a one-man shop and takes in only one car at a time to customize. The coupe also won one of Street Rodder’s Top 100 awards (presented by Painless Performance). (To see more winners from this year, or winners from past year’s events, check out streetrodder.com.)

5/55Dale Johns is hanging out in his car as he’s getting ready to accept some of the awards he received at this year’s show for his ’33 Ford roadster, which featured a Hilborn-injected 454 underhood and a six-speed tranny. Johns is one-half of D&D Specialties, a rod shop in Van Buren, AR, that has been building great cars for the past few decades.

More than 400 manufacturer/vendors and 6,000-plus vehicles typically crowd into the facility for the Goodguys Nationals, and next year (July 6-8, 2012) the event will be celebrating its 15th year, which ought to bring out even more to see—and we can’t wait!

Painless Performance Products presents Street Rodder TOP 100

For the Top 100 program, Street Rodder attends 10 particular car shows each year and picks 10 vehicles at each to make up the Top 100. For more on where those shows are and how they’re voted on, check www.streetrodder.com.

Tech Tip

Wire gauge size

Electrical wiring is rated in size by a gauge number. Unlike most things in life, wire size gets bigger as the gauge number decreases. Normal automotive wiring ranges from 18 to 10 gauge in harnessing and 8 to 0 gauge for charging systems and battery cables. In wiring, it’s better to be too big than too small.

RF Noise

Radio frequency (RF) noise is like sound to a human. It’s invisible but comes from high voltage devices like an ignition coil or alternator wiring. This noise can make signals for gauges change and signals for your fuel injection sensors change. Always try to keep sensitive wiring away from noise producing devices.